Top high school basketball players leave Sacramento | The Sacramento Bee Like many of the players on this list, Cisse switched schools, finishing up at St. Jude Catholic High. 2023-2024 High School Basketball Players - MonsterPreps Who was the best high school basketball player you ever saw in person? Last week, we unveiled our top high school basketball team in each state and today we are digging . 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Markelle Fultz, is currently enduring what has become a Philadelphia 76ers' rite of passage: spending his rookie year watching from the sidelines as he rehabs an injury. A stint with the 76ers summer-league team would be the next-closest Young would get to the NBA and he would toil in various minor leagues around the world. Get your votes in by noon Friday for our high school boys basketball player of the week for Feb. 20-25: Cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the article or click here to vote.. Trey . He was a lottery pick by the Supersonics but spent most of his first two years on the bench. Some players found themselves a little too drawn to the hustler lifestyle. When you're known by just two letters--as in "KG"--you have to be something special. She was an incredible shooter and I had NEVER seen handles like that, ever." It was a well-deserved ranking as the Legend of Mayo had reached epic heights by then. Aside from throwing down monster dunks, he was also known for blocking the shots of opponents much bigger than him. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. There is no comparison to me, Gary Payton, Antonio Davis, Greg Foster or Brian Shaw.. Brad Pinkerton. When Butler was with the 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs, a very telling comment by coach Gregg Popovich revealed the player's true nature: "Most of (Butler's) playing time in the initial part of the season is going to be in practice, learning what a work ethic is day in and day out and what it takes to play at this level.". He last played, professionally, in 2005 and was arrested in 2009 for failing to appear in court for a child support hearing. What happens if an high school basketball star decides to throw a "direct to the NBA Draft" party and no one decides to show? It turned out Oden was the one whose body couldn't handle the NBA, as he was seemingly hurt year after year. Top 50 ever! Colorado High School Hoops | BAC Magazine Since he was never a senior, we dont have his senior rankings but he was ranked the 7th best junior in the nation and had college offers from UNC, Louisville and UCLA. Some ballers opted not to enter the league for monetary reasons (back in the day, most NBA players made meager, five-figure salaries). I remember listening to Weaver's first high school game against Lancaster on the radio. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He is a Final Year Engineering student. --and five NBA titles later, the rest is history. Won two gold medals with USA Basketball. Indiana high school basketball: Top performers last week of 2023 4 in MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. Two state marks, including the 5A record for most points scored in a game and most 3-pointers made in a game, are held by the young athlete. Caitlin began playing basketball when she was a freshman in high school and quickly established herself as one of the top players at her school. I was in the hunt for the starting point guard slot, a battle I'd eventually lose a couple games into the state AAU tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. 15 Basketball High School Phenoms Who Never Made It In The NBA. Know Her Career And Life! Cooke did have good times, first at Lane High in Brooklyn and then he moved on to La Salle Academy in Manhattan. He waspronounced dead later that evening at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. However, since breaking Duke's all-time scoring. The Mavs were probably a bad fit for Smith, as they were coached by Don Nelson, an old-school type who was particularly hard on rookies. It should be noted that the tragic tales of the likes of Hank Gathers and Benji Wilson will be left off the list, as their circumstances went far beyond anything basketball related. It's still debatable. 2023 Michigan Mr. Basketball: Meet the five finalists "Normally, when a kid is thinking about something like this, you'll hear about it, said Youngs high school coach. Wagner was the No. Swimming in National Player of the Year awards just a year after Kevin Garnett's successful leap from high school to the NBA, Bryant made the none-too-surprising decision to turn pro himself. He wound up whacking me in the head and I saw three goals as I stood at the free-throw line. 30. He was a good four-year starter in college, but hardly lived up to the hype he built in high school. Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond Despite never playing high school or college ball, Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond was perhaps the greatest basketball player to ever come out of Harlem. He played college basketball at Norfolk State and was even drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1968, yet chose to return to the more lucrative operations he ran in Harlem. Considering he is often credited with inventing the cross-over as well as the spin move to the bucket, we truly wish he had chosen the other life. There are other players like J.R. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Monta Ellis who also went the prep-to-pro route and churned out serviceable NBA careers. SC high school basketball: Wren wins state championship over Crestwood Fat chance. But, Wrenn was a troubled soul, who made emotional--rather than logical--decisions, and spent an uneventful college career bouncing from UConn to Washington, so his making it to the NBA was never really in the cards. However, Manigault should be glad he never made it to the NBA, because he became much more famous being a "never made it" as opposed to some obscure player who rode the bench for a couple of meaningless NBA seasons. The most vivid thing I remember was how fast Jamison would get his shot off after catching a pass. Eventually, Wrenn ran into legal troubles, thus ending his bid at the pros. Bennett ended the 2016-17 season in Turkey but was cut after his team won the championship. After the 2005 draft, the NBA's collective bargaining agreement ended the prep-to-pro pipeline. She was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and unanimously selected for both the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and First Team All-Big Ten after the regular season. Pee Wee Kirkland, another legend of Rucker Park, made a name for himself in two highly distinct ways: as a drug kingpin and superstar basketball player. There's no big tragic story behind Williams' failures; he appears to have not been good enough, at least for any teams to believe in him to sign him and actually play him. We all know what happened when Oden went pro as he was drafted by the Blazers first overall in 2007. The third-ranked player, Korleone Young, played 3 NBA games. 4. Selby was one of the best players to ever come out of the DMV area and he was the No. The National Basketball Association is known for its history ofphenomenal players. He was later recruited by Chicago's DePaul University, but was ruled academically ineligible. No, that isn't comedian Carrot Top, that's NBA flame-out Robert Swift, a great high school player that managed to get Garces High School (Bakersfield, CA) ranked in the USA Today top 25 teams during the 2002-03 season. Maggette was smooth and fun to watch doing everything on the floor." I could tell you what happened next, but I'd rather show you. Tyler remains the first and only player to not only skip college to turn pro, but he skipped part of high school as well. Such was Garnett's maturity that he was able to bypass college and still exceed expectations. Washburn, from Hickory, N.C., was 6-11, 230-plus pounds, ran the floor like a forward, handled like someone eight inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter, shook backboards with his dunks and blocked everything in sight. He now plays for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the G-League and averaged 5.9 PPG in 2016-17. For the last three seasons hes played for three different teams in the Chinese Basketball Association. A legend of Rucker Park, Hammond destroyed opponents with his thunderous jams and smooth shot. Michael Dyer Dyers freshman year at Auburn not only brought NFL potential but also a national championship. Layups, jumpers, dunks; they were off his fingertips like electrostatic sparks. 9. Williams was a star with two different high schools in Mississippi and Texas and was ranked in the top 20 prospects of 2009. Top 50 high school basketball players of all time - MaxPreps All eight players went on to play in the NBA. He attempted suicide while with the Mavs after he swallowed 250 aspirin tablets and he told police I am an Indian fighting Columbus! Dallas would cut him and he wouldnt make his NBA debut until 2001 with the Hawks. But it became clear very soon that Bailey had peaked in high school. Right after his junior prom, Tyler announced he was dropping out of school and heading overseas to start his pro basketball career. He was then traded to the Mavs but never played a game due to more psychological issues. The 35 Best Basketball Documentaries Ever (Watch For Free) Bryant, the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, was regarded as the top high school player in the entire nation in 1996 when coming out of Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore. Oden was already being called the next Patrick Ewing or the next Tim Duncan when he was just 16 years old. He started in the McDonald's game and the Capital Classic, then nearly on a par with the McDonald's game in national prestige. She also won awards including Iowa Miss Basketball, Gatorade State Player of the Year, and the McDonalds All-American title. There was actually an HBO movie made about Manigault starring Don Cheadle entitledRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault. Luke McBride, Norwell: The senior became Norwells all-time leading scorer with 24 points and eight rebounds in a 48-46 win over Homestead. They either flamed out in college or flamed out in the pros which means the highpoint of their basketball careers came as teenagers. There was no Ball is Life, Overtime or Mars Reel. I remember he dunked the ball so hard on a fast-break, the portable goal just collapsed to the ground. Orem players celebrate a 3-pointer in the 5A boys basketball state quarterfinal game against Lehi at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. She started every game she played in as a freshman in 201617, contributing to her teams 195 record and trip to the state quarterfinals with game averages of 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.25 steals. Initially, he committed to Louisville after a stellar run at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, but extenuating circumstances prompted him to change his mind and declare for the 2004 draft. Buta lack of inner motivation proved to be a distraction, and the closest Ryan ever came to the NBA was a tryout he had with the then-New Jersey Nets in 1990. Tyreke Evans 3. Mayo became the first player in 10 years to be banned by the NBA. Heck, there was no YouTube. After being named Mr. Basketball USA in 1990, Bailey joined Knight in Bloomington, Indiana. She also finished the season with the fourth-highest points per game average in Iowa history. Jalen was good, but it was not quite as good as his dad playing with a bum wrist against Feehan, and posting 42 points." Ward didnt even become a starter until his senior season and by then the luster off his Naismith award had worn away. Sergio Llull Unlike the other players in this list, Sergio Llull still has a chance to make. Arlington Martin High basketball team players punished after fight Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, there were far fewer, readily accessible media outlets that covered prep sports beyond a local level. "We talked about the legend in the cafeteria. Throughout the regular season, many Oklahoma high school girls basketball stars made their cases for consideration of The Oklahoman's Super 5 Player of the Year. Inside Her Life! Mayo AKA Grocery List was the consensus top player of the Class of 2007 and ahead of such players as Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and James Harden. They arent All-Star caliber players but they still made tens of millions of dollars and proved right in their decisions to skip college. Best move: Uses a hesitation dribble to free the defender then shoots a 3-pointer or blows past for a lay-up. It wasn't the best decision for each one, but for a select group of superstars, skipping college paid off. Telfair played for nine NBA teams in 10 years and spent some time overseas as well, never living up to the incredible hype. There's been an ongoing debate for years, even decades, on whether the "one and done" rule in the NBA should be liftedor if in fact, basketball players should spend even more time in college. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. However, Ryan did have his moment in the sun, starring at John Jay High in Brooklyn, where he averaged 26 points a game as a guard with a deadly shot during the late 1970s. But I had seen what I needed to see: the most impressive display of human athleticism Ive ever witnessed in any athletic competition or showing. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Earl Manigault was a legendary basketball player with unbelievable hops. Top opponent: Jason Drake Jr., Ferndale. Some context: less than three months before the Capital Classic, in mid-January 1984, top-ranked North Carolina beat fifth-ranked Maryland at Cole Field House, and the win was capped in the final seconds by one of Michael Jordan's most legendary dunks , a swooping breakaway rock-the-cradle jam, silencing the building except for a collective "oooooooohhhhh.". Eventually, the Boston Celtics selected him with the No. He was one of the most-touted players to come out of New York in years and won the Mr. Basketball USA award in 1994. ARLINGTON, Texas - For Arlington Martin High School, Tuesday was the biggest game of the post-season.. Telfair is 32 years old and last played in the NBA in 2014; however, his 40-year-old cousin, Stephon Marbury, has a better shot at rejoining the NBA than Bassy does. Kevin Love 6. Daniel Tippit, New Palestine: The senior hit a 30-footer in New Palestines 61-31 win over Greenwood on senior night as the Dragons finished off a 21-2 regular season. The only thing I could think was, There can't be eight players better than him. Who's The Greatest High School Basketball Player Ever? He also set a state record for blocked shots in a game--and he did that in the very first half of his very first game! Caitlin won the IPSWA Miss Iowa Basketball award in 2020. Louisville high school basketball players pick favorite warm-up song The 30 Greatest Basketball Players to Never Play in the NBA As a sophomore in 201718, Caitlin averaged 27.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 steals, leading her squad to a 204 record and the state quarterfinals. By. It didn't take long to see that it was. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. Williamson, at the time, was still considering South Carolina as a college commitment, so as a Gamecocks fan who had seen the YouTube videos, my friend was all in for a trip to see Spartanburg Day play in the first round of the state playoffs. He was a very good player for the Hoosiers, was a four-year starter and left the school sixth on Indianas all-time scoring list. Those in the Columbus area who remember watching Weaver play in the '90s will tell you 100 variations of thissame legend. The bleachers at the Sumter Civic Center were full by the time Williamson's team took the floor for pregame warm-ups.